R The Celestia vs The World: ATAD
by Xen Kenshin
Summary: A Prophecy of Five. Three Factions. One continent, and a single looming darkness connects them all. The revision process of TCvTW:ATAD has begun! A fanon/AU plot with canon scattered through out. All rights reserved to Konami, Kazuki Takahashi and 4Kids, as well as those who created OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**The Celestia vs. The World – Revised**!

Ambition That Attracts Darkness

Introduction Arc

_Here we go people, the re-start of the beginning. Yeah, I know this fic has been on hiatus for almost a year, but that's because previously, I had been writing it as it came to me, throwing ideas in and out on a whim. I've already lost too many good story ideas because of my own devil-may-care attitude, and I won't allow all the hard work put in by myself, and all of my wonderful fans and supporters, to be wasted. So, I'm giving TCvTW:ATAD a mid-course reboot!_

_Well, more like 'begginning-course' reboot, since the series was really JUST starting... But one thing hasn't changed: I do not have ownership of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's or any of its predecessors. If I did, you'd be watching this instead of reading it. And that would mean you'd be watching this instead of ZeXal. Visit my forum linked on my profile for story discussion and random chit-chat!_

* * *

**Introduction – The Celestial Pentagon, The Crimson Dragon and The Green Drifter**

Shouting. Screaming. Musket fire. The dull thud of sharp metal objects hitting flesh and bone.

"How troublesome."

The battlefield was an old and dense wood. The trees, once having health brown trunks and heavy with green foliage, were now stripped bare for last minute weapons and covered red with the spilled blood of arrogant and careless men. Those who still lived, soldiers of either side, paid no mind to their fallen friends and foes. This was war, and regardless of how many perished, the war would not stop until only one side was left standing.

"To think that this is how humans treat life..."

As countless men locked in mortal combat and waging war between themselves hurried to and fro or fell immobile to the ground, a single man walked along the trotted across the moist, dark brown soil that stank of defeat and nevermore. As he trampled over the already thrashed hopes and dreams of men he once knew, men he once considered enemies, men he had once been, he kept a close eye on one particular section of the woods.

The man wore an all white suit, complete with coat tails and a top hat. He wore speckled leather shoes that clanked with each step he took. In his hands was a cane topped with a jewel, possibly a diamond. His hair, at least what was visible beneath his hat, was tri-colored. The main color was white, nothing like that of an Albino, but as white as drawing paper. There were some black locks peeking from the back of his hat and from either side, two black and gold strands of hair caressed his face every time he took a step.

It was worth mentioning that his attire was not getting stained as he walked through the woods.

"This should be the spot..." The man looked around; a small stream flowed through the heart of the woods. The man in the white suit watched as a silverfish slipped between a fallen branch, the moonlight reflecting brilliantly off of its scales. The fish continued to swim upstream, slowing down when it sensed something was amiss. Slowly, the clear stream gained a pink hue that darkened to a red tint. The fish then turned around and darted away as a large, metal boot stomped down in the stream.

"The giant went this way!"

An eager and tired man's voice yelled in the distance. The man in the white suit watched as the 'giant' struggled to free his foot from a sinkhole his weight undoubtedly caused. The giant gripped his calf, and the suited man could see several gashes going down the giant's back. While the front of the giant's armor was still intact, the back piece was completely missing.

"Ready the harpoon! We're going to finish this monster once and for all!"

"Yeah!" A second voice chimed in. "First we'll slay the giant, then we'll win the war!"

The giant, realizing he could not break free, went prone instead, pressing his stomach to the ground. He rushed and threw dirt over his frame, trying to camouflage with the ground.

"An unorthodox strategy," the man hoisted his lapels and crouched near the giant. "But I doubt that will work." He smiled as the giant continued covering himself in dirt as though he heard nothing. "It's amazing how much I can view, although I was not around to experience this." The well groomed man stood erect and retrieved a pocket watch from his pants pocket.

"Actually," a smile graced his lips. "Enter stage right in three...two...one..."

"Are you here?" A higher pitched voice called out from the opposing side of the stream.

The giant stopped, recognizing his allies' voice.

"Speak to me!" shrubbery shifted, and a lengthy teen darted out from within the woods. He continued to run until he was standing at the bank of the stream, right next to the man in white. The two were a spitting image of one another; the white clad male tipped his hat to his younger look alike. The teen did not see this, and proceeded to walk right through the man in white.

"Haste leads to waste, child..." The man in white clicked his tongue as he watched the teen run straight over the giant and crossed tot he opposite side of the stream.

"Brother!" The teen paused and looked back. He watched as the ground itself rose up and engulfed his scrawny frame in its shadow. "I am here."

The teen, gripping at his chest, let out a relieved sigh. "I thought you a beast, brother." The sound of his relief quickly died down as the sound of sickening laughter picked up.

"So, not only do we discover a giant, but also its human aid?"

The man in white sighed and covered his ears. "I truly despise this part..."

Although he covered his ears, the man in white could still hear everything being said; every insult, every accusation, every bone chilling threat. He did not removed his hands from his ears until he saw the group of five men ready the harpoon.

"I will not let you harm him!" The teen declared bravely although his knees shook like a ship mast in a hurricane.

"Fire!" The harpoon rocketed forward, and the teen threw himself in front of it. His light frame was easily knocked back, but not before his chest piece made of leather, and a large portion of his right shoulder were displaced by the heavy metal projectile. The giant bellowed as the harpoon then struck his chest in the very center.

The two lay motionless as shouts and roars became louder, and the harpoon men gained worried looks on their faces.

"They have reinforcements!"

"It matters not; their giant is slain, as is their errand boy. We have won this war. Pull back, men."

The five harpoon men scurried off into the cover of night and trees just as the giant and errand boy's Calvary arrived.

"Tend to their wounds!" "Bring the cauldrons!" "Where is the apothecary?!"

The man in white let out a nostalgic sigh as he walked over to the giant and errand boy lying next to one another. He looked down at their faces, and instead of finding them in shock, they both wore large grins.

"We can live...another...day...brother..." The errand boy wheezed. It was amazing he could even breath, considering almost a third of his neck was gone.

"Indeed, brother," the giant's echoing laugh was not affected by the harpoon he sported in his torso, bobbing up and down with each muscle movement.

"Such fools..." The man in white laughed himself, sounding a lot like the errand boy who now joined in the giant's laughter. His laugh stopped cold and he looked over his shoulder. "A presence?" The woods before him dissolved; the soil, the trees, the moonlight all vanished and left only an empty white room standing. "And a celestial one, at that."

The man in white's eyebrow rose. "Not one of mine...but familiar."

The white room suddenly erupted into a brilliant flash of crimson red.

"**Finally, I have broken through to the other side..."** The voice had no voice, at least, not to those who were not on an equivalent plain.

"Ah," The man in the white suit was covering his eyes. "I'd recognize such a wonderful light show instantly, even if it's been...what, fifteen thousand years?"

The light died down, and slowly, the Crimson Dragon took form in the center of the room. **"Since we last saw one another, yes."** It then readjusted itself so that it took a less spacious form. **"I have still yet to thank you for warning me of Red Nova's intended assault."** The smaller form gazed upon the male in the white suit.

"**You...have seen better days."**

"Not recently, Crimson Dragon." The man replied with a sharp wit.

"**I was not aware of your situation."** The Crimson Dragon sounded pitiful.

"Oh please," The man laughed, lifting a cane from the wall behind him. "We all knew we were to fade into nothingness after your Signers completed their duties."

The Crimson Dragon made no attempt to confirm, nor deny the statement. **"It must be Fate-"**

"Oh, Fate," The man sounded vexed. "Whoop-de-doo."

"**Fate,"** The Crimson Dragon continued, sounding irritated. **"That you should mention my Signers."**

"What'd they do this time?" The man asked with a sigh. "Did they go insane with power like their dark counterparts? Or, perhaps, they're trying to resurrect someone they should not?"

"**Actually, neither,"** In a rare display of humor the Crimson Dragon added. **"Thank me."**

The man in the white suit was quiet for what may have very well been eons. "Leave the jokes to me."

The Crimson Dragon nodded. **"Very well then."** It then looked around the room. **"I have urgent news regarding the well being of your universe."**

"Then take it up with the one in charge," The man dismissed the celestial being with a wave of his cane towards his room door. "A left down the hall then take a right at the grandfather clock that tics no more. If you pass the cherry soda fountain, you have gone too far."

If the man had not seen it before, he would have found the Crimson Dragon raising a brow a rather odd sight. **"You are no longer the leader of The Celestial Pentagon?"**

The man removed his hat, revealing a mess of white hair peppered with black and gold. "No. I, the one who entails the players selected by Fate, have been..." His airy tone became sinister. "Replaced."

Instantly, the Crimson Dragon understood. **"Very well then. I shall tell the one in charge of the imminent darkness."**

Before the Crimson Dragon could vanish, it found the man's cane placed on its right claw. "Oh, do tell."

"**I thought the matter no longer concerned you."**

"We are a group," The man explained with a large smile. "It shall concern me, eventually."

"**This is something better told to the leader."** The Crimson Dragon sounded adamant.

"The leader is currently unavailable. Check for yourself." Upon the suggestion, the Crimson Dragon expanded his presence through out the realm. "See? Leave the message with me, the second in charge, and I'll insure our great...and fair..." The words were strained. "Leader gets it."

The Crimson Dragon was now suspicious. **"You're the second in command?"**

"Who better to be the second in command than the former first?" The man offered.

"**Very well," **The Crimson Dragon discerned. **"But ensure that this information, in its entirety, gets to your leader."**

"Of course," The man placed his hat on his head. "What kind of a Gentleman would I be if I skipped corners?" The self proclaimed Gentleman waved his hand and a chair appeared beneath him. "Now, tell me of this...imminent darkness..."

* * *

The busy city streets were calming down as the last bit of the sun's light slowly crept into the serene darkness of night. One by one, the lights of businesses and homes shut off, and soon, the entire block was veiled by darkness, save for a few street lights vicariously placed along the sidewalks.

The setting was perfect.

A lone figure stepped out of the shadows at the north end of the block. Judging by its frame and shape, the figure was male, roughly six feet in height and wore a skin tight black body suit akin to a diving suit. He slipped a pair of night vision goggles that glowed a deep green hue over their face. Their features were totally invisible under the cover of darkness. The man slipped past a lamppost and dove into a hedge. He crawled along the soil until he reached the large condominium. He pressed his back against the wall and stood up, perking his ears near an open window.

"...still, the pickup isn't due for another few minutes..."

Beneath the material over his face, the man smiled. So, this was the right place after all. It looked like his Intel was right, as always. Not one for being cocky, the male pushed the night vision goggles onto his forehead and deactivated them. His dark green eyes scanned the surrounding area again before he retrieved a small camera from the utility belt around his waist. He used the reflective back of the camera to check inside the room; there were two men inside, both standing at the doorway with their backs to the window. The room itself was packed with wardrobes and other large objects used for storage.

The male snapped a few silent pictures of the surrounding area and then the interior before slipping into the open window. Luckily, the suit he was wearing was specifically made for silent entry – and exit. The floor was also covered in velvet carpeting, a nice stroke of good luck in the male's opinion. It would absorb what little sound his already quiet footsteps made, rendering him a ghost. All he had to do now was continue to not be seen

"Hey, it's a little drafty. Mind if I close the window?"

The male stopped snapping photos and looked at the two guards only yards away. So much for that stroke of good luck!

"Sure, go ahead. Besides, we wouldn't want anything coming in the window. It is mosquito season after all."

The first guard gave a laugh and walked into the room. "Right? The last thing this operation needs is some annoying insect buzzing about." The guard walked over to the window and lifted his hands to close the window. He let out a yell as his foot got caught up in a bit of carpeting, causing his weight to be thrown off. He let out a grunt as he hit the windowsill and fell out of the open window.

The second guard was in the room, his arms outstretched a bit too late. "Hey, you okay?"

"Damn, that hurt!" The first guard complained, rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell, man? You'd think that with his kind of money, Eagle would be able to afford top notch carpet!"

The second guard laughed, turning away from the window. "He's probably one of those money hoarders that cut corners." He stopped when he noticed a clear rip in the fabric. He crouched low, and put a hand on the carpet. "Hey!" His voice was cautious. "Call me crazy, but I think this was messed with." He stood up and looked back to the window.

Only the silence of darkness looked back at him.

"Oy, don't tell me you got got knocked out?" The guard took a step forward. "No...you were talking a second ago!" The guard lifted up a wooden chair and smashed it on the wall. Now armed with a chair leg in each hand, he advanced towards the window. "Alright, who's out there?!"

He poked his head out of the window, quickly looking left and right. He heard something shuffling in the hedge and looked down. A pair of black hands grabbed him by the neck and yanked him out of the window head first. Before he could let out a yell, the hands around his neck became arms and tightened. The guard dropped the legs and tried to fight back, but his attacked continuously moved from his arm range. After a few seconds of flailing about, the guard fell limp. Satisfied after a few more seconds of constricting the guard's neck, the man in black drug this guard's body to the first.

Working swiftly, the man used the guards boot laces and belts to tie them up, and stuffed their socks into their mouths for good measure. He double checked to make sure their air passages weren't blocked and then sauntered back to the building. Slipping in again, the man checked the hallway. It seemed like there were no other people on the first floor, so he slid the face mask part of his body suit down and let out a loud gasp.

"Ugh!" He went into an internal pocket and pulled out a colorful bag. It was about the size of his palm and the word 'Chewiest' was clearly labeled on the front in bright colors. He opened the bag of gummy bears, and poured a few into his mouth before walking over to a large, metal locker along the left wall when facing the door. Still chewing, he nudged it with his foot. To his surprise, the door opened and revealed a large array of assorted Duel Monsters cards.

"Didn't see that coming..." He muttered to himself. He retrieved the camera again, and snapped photographs with one hand while pouring gummy bears into his mouth with the other. Wrinkling up the bag and placing it back into an internal pocket, the man then grabbed one of the cards from the locker. He looked it over for a moment, then put it to the light.

"It's a fake." He bent the card, and sure enough, the cheap material ripped. "Eagle wouldn't deal in counterfeits, it's beneath him." The man retrieved his cellphone and entered his password. He then accessed a file that he had saved on an external memory source.

"Like I thought..." He shut his cellphone off and put it back in his pocket. "This is just some two bit counterfeit scheme, no doubt using Eagle's name to try and get some type of leg up against the competition..." The man looked around and found the nearest land-line. Double checking his position and deeming it safe, he picked up the land line and waited a second. No one else was on the line.

He retrieved his cellphone once more, entered his password, and then activated a special feature on it. He then dialed the local law enforcement.

"Hello, this is the Itmas Police Department. What is your emergency?"

"Yes, I wanted to report a break in that's happening right now." His voice now sounded like that of a elderly lady's.

"A breaking and entering call?" The emergency respondent mimed. "And you said it's in progress?"

""Yes, yes," the male knew he had to sound urgent, but if he put too much stress on the voice changer, his own voice might slip through. Besides, he had to do a bit of the work himself, and he didn't want to risk a sore throat. "I can see strangers doing odd things. And I think I see two men who aren't moving!"

"Okay ma'am, please give me the address and I'll have a unit dispatched in no time."

"Oh no no no, one unit won't do!" The man remembered the area when he had canvassed it earlier that morning. "There are a few vehicles outside, easily ten in total. You'd better get a whole task force down here." The man then rattled off the address twice before hanging up abruptly. For good measure, he added a small gasp before hanging up.

He closed the program on his phone with a triumphant smile. "That's one injustice to Duel Monsters avoided." The man's phone then vibrated once. His green eyes, their color enhanced by black irises, snapped to the screen. He checked the message twice, just to be sure he had read it right.

The man took off, putting his cellphone back into his pocket mid stride, and leaped clear out of the window. He stuck to the darker sections of the neighborhood as he headed East. Halfway to his destination, about five block away from the condominium, he stopped at a small, serene park that had a wooden bridge across a duck pond. He stopped just before the pond and climbed a tree he had marked by sticking an empty bag of gummy bears on the branch.

In the tree was a small carry bag, and inside that bag was his normal attire. He jumped out of the tree and checked the area before swiftly changing his clothes. He now wore a black leather jacket on top of a dark green t-shirt, paired with dark green cargo pants and black sneakers with green trim. On the back of the leather jacket was a sun partially eclipsed by a moon, creating a crescent shadow over the sun. The man shook out and ran his fingers through his long, green hair, his fingers traveling from black roots to black ends. Shouldering the carry bag, the man once again took off to his destination.

Another five blocks, and the man slowed down to a jog. A few yards away, his getaway vehicle awaited him. It was a crescent shaped Duel Runner if one looked at it from the side. The trim was black and covered the perimeter of the Duel Runner. The leather was black with green trim, the color scheme juxtaposing the frame which was green with black trim. There was a helmet matching the frame sitting on the controls. The man put it on and spoke into the helmet clearly.

"Voice recognition plus command: Let's move out."

The on-board computer beeped a second later. An exotic female voice then replied.

"Voice recognition, complete. Hello, Jake." The engine then hummed as it came to life. The man, addressed by his Duel Runner as Jake, placed his hands on the controls. He revved up his engine and leaned forward in his seat. The seat followed, readjusting itself within the frame.

"Let's ride, Equinox." Jake spoke into the microphone piece in his helmet. The Duel Runner's wheels burned rubber as Jake took off on Equinox. Within seconds, the only thing on the street was the dissipating plume of smoke.

* * *

"So your grand total is three hundred dollars."

"Three hundred dollars?" Jake repeated, giving the cashier a raised eyebrow. He was the only person on line, requesting a late night ride on whatever ferry line was still running at almost four o'clock in the morning.

"Yes," The man behind the register began recounting his expenses. "A single trip ticket on the ferry would normally cost only fifty dollars, but you asked for the express trip, which brings the price to seventy five dollars. You also requested that your Duel Runner be transported via ferry, and that's an automatic one hundred and fifty five dollars."

"That's two hundred and thirty dollars." Jake spoke evenly. "What's the seventy dollar charge supposed to cover?"

"Your dormitory expenses, sir." The cashier punched something into the computer. "It's a twenty four hour ferry – those aren't cheap, and there are meals offered on the ride. Not to mention the cost of your quarters, single room, minimum furnishing-"

"All of this on a ferry?" Jake questioned, interrupting the cashier.

"You specifically asked for the next ferry leaving the Paradigm Republic and arriving in the United County. The next ferry leaving this station for that destination is a part of Iniquity Industries Transportation."

The cashier noticed Jake's expression turn sour and decided to give him another offer. "There's a ferry owned by a private company leaving in a few hours, if you'd prefer-"

"No, this will be fine, thank you." Jake retrieved his wallet from one of the many pockets on his cargo pants.

"Will that be credit or debit, sir?" The man asked. He felt ridiculous after asking that question when Jake handed him three crisp hundred dollar bills.

"Cash." Jake replied, giving the man the money. He watched as the cashier checked to see if the bills were authentic. They were.

"Then please follow the instructions on your ticket," The man handed Jake a ticket and receipt. "So you may dock your Duel Runner on the ferry. And thank you for riding with us." Jake gave the cashier a nod and then looked around.

"Do you know if there's any candy available on the ferry? I have a bit of a sweet tooth."

"Uhm," The cashier was a bit thrown off but replied courteously. "I'm not certain, but I do know there are a few shops that sell treats on the way to the ferry terminal."

"Thanks." Jake gave a wave and headed towards his duel runner parked outside. He stopped in front of Equinox and looked it over. He then bent over and, using a set of keys in yet another one of his pockets, opened the lock of his duel runner's seat compartment. He retrieved an old looking box, about the size of a shoe box, and opened the metal latches that held it closed. He reached inside, and pulled out a picture. He stared at it longingly for a while.

In the picture was a child, undoubtedly Jake when he was younger. On either side was a man and a woman with their arms around him. The three of them wore large smiles and were surrounded by other various people, all smiling and happy as well. They were outdoors on a coastline and all dressed in summer attire.

Jake put the picture back in the box and closed it. He put the box into the seat compartment and rummaged around a bit more. He found what he was looking for; a small, gray lock box with a padlock on the front. He entered the combination and opened the box. Inside were a few bills that he counted quickly.

"Hmm," Jake sighed, closing the box. "I'm running a bit low on funds." He then locked the seat compartment and unlocked Equinox. He checked the gauges, and saw that he was running on half a tank of gas. "Better walk her into the lower level vehicle storage." Jake sighed, and began to push his duel runner...

* * *

_**twenty-four hours later...**_

Jake pushed Equinox off of the port and into the city street. He tied his helmet onto his head and looked around a bit. "Equinox, location."

"Paititi Civic, United County." After a few more beeps. "Big Wave Port, Shipping District."

"Distance to Neo Copan City?" Jake inquired, hopping on his duel runner.

"From current position to Neo Copan City border... 4,300 miles. Estimation."

"Then project a route that will get us there within three days that involves as little riding as possible."

"Calculating route..." Equinox continued to hum. "Route established. Set way-points?"

"Yes," Jake then pulled out a flip cell phone that matched Equinox's color. "Send route to leisure cell phone, as well."

"Sending route to leisure cellphone via wireless connection. Transmitting..." Jake heard the cellphone in his hand beep. "Transmission complete."

"Good. Commence autopilot to first destination. Wake me up when we get there." Jake yawned and activated the blinder on his helmet to block out sunlight. "I could hardly sleep in that cramped room."

"The storage conditions for duel runners were rather atrocious as well." Equinox voiced its own critique of the ride.

"Wasn't it?" Jake agreed, putting his feet up on the controls.

"Incoming message." Equinox's sudden alert made Jake stop reclining.

"Sender?" Jake asked, typing on the on-screen keyboard.

"Unknown." Equinox replied, sounding cautious. "Scan contents for malicious software?"

"Also scan for a virtual trail of some sort. I don't like automated systems sending us junk mail. It clogs up your memory."

"Commencing dual scan..." Jake waited for a few minutes as Equinox worked. He watched as people walked in and out of the port, a few of them giving him and his duel runner stares. A few children waved at him, recognizing him as a duelist. Jake returned those waves with a smile. Kids were a weakness of his.

"Scanning complete. No malicious software discovered. No virtual trail found."

"Odd..." Jake murmured. "If it were from our usual, they would have sent the message directly to my business phone." Jake rubbed his chin. "Open the message in safe mode, just in case."

"Opening message on removable media. Increasing firewall protection. Isolating digital information in several safe zones."

Jake watched as the screen blinked once and a black text on a white background popped up. "A typed letter?" Jake read through it twice. "With directions to pick up a package? Equinox, correlate this address with known addresses in your memory."

"Correlating... No matching address found." There was a beep accompanied by a green exclamation point on screen. "Interesting Intel discovered."

"Talk to me." Jake became curious.

"The address in this message is also our first waypoint."

Jake disabled the blinder on his helmet so he could see the screen clearly. "What's our first waypoint?"

"A duel runner maintenance shop where I can be refueled."

"And that's where this package is?" Jake sounded skeptic.

"According to the website of this duel runner shop, they also offer storage for various duel runner parts should the need arise. You may then send for the items you stored or pick them up yourself, or even have someone pick them up so long as they carry the proper identification number and have been told someone else will be picking up the item in question."

"Sounds convenient." Jake was now on guard. Not only did this message have no origin, but now it also knew his route not too long after he planned it? "Too convenient."

"Should I terminate the message and recalculate an alternative route?" Equinox asked, a confirmation message popping up on screen.

Jake thought it over for a moment. "Since there was no malicious software on the message, we can assume whoever sent us the message can't be all bad. Not to mention we'd it'd be rude if I just left their gift sitting in some old locker." Jake tapped the 'No' option on screen.

"Carrying on as planned." Equinox began to pull off. Jake reclined into the seat, placing his feet on the controls.

"Now you _really _have to wake me up when we get there..." Jake mumbled.

"I do not understand." Equinox replied. "While this does warrant an increase of vigilance, you speak as though you're aware of something else."

"Aren't you the perceptive piece of software?" Jake chuckled.

"I'm an artificial intelligence that continues to learn." Equinox then added. "Thank you very much."

Jake laughed. "I see that personality program is running smoothly." Jake felt a bit of turbulence in his seat, but did not see what could have caused the bump in the road.

"Did you just shake me?" Jake asked Equinox.

"No." Equinox's tone was as autonomous as usual.

"...sure, yeah, it was my imagination..." Jake muttered. "And to answer your question, I have the oddest feeling that whatever it is waiting for us in that locker is just going to make my day go to shi-."

"Watch your language." Equinox scolded him.

"Forgot I had programmed you to dislike vulgarity."

"Someone needs to watch my mouth." Jake's voice played back in his ears.

"And to be able to playback recordings at predetermined prompts." Jake shuddered. "Stop doing that."

"Stop doing that." His voice played back again.

"Oh, come on!" Jake laughed before leaning back once more. Although he laughed, the uneasy feeling did not leave the pit of his stomach...

* * *

_And with that, the first revised chapter of TCvTW:ATAD is completed! Leave a review and let me know what you think of the revision!_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Celestia vs. The World – Revised**!

**Ambition That Attracts Darkness**

**Introduction Arc**

_The first duel of TCvTW takes place! As you read, you'll notice I use a certain system to demonstrate what's going on as the duel progresses. It looks like this:_

_Status:_

_X's LP: Hand: 0 Monsters: 0 S/T: 0_

_Y's LP: Hand: 0 Monsters: 0 S/T: 0_

_LP stands for Life Points, and S/T stands for Spell/Trap card zone. It's pretty simple, actually. Another thing you'll notice is that cards played for the first time will be in _**bold. **_Afterward, they'll be typed in normal text. Why? Because it makes it easier for me and you, to go back and see when who played what. _

_One final detail; cards that are in _**bold **_and have apostrophes on both sides _**'like this' **_are Custom Cards and will have their information listed at the end of the chapter. Keep an eye out for them, as they are NOT cards in real circulation and are owned by various members of Fanfiction. So if you like them and would like to feature them in your stories, you'll have to take it up with the owners._

_Another thing: In the previous version of TCvTW, I described every singe monster that was summoned during a duel. It was a nice little luxury, but I realize now that...well...if you really wanna see the card, look it up online. I figured that the only monsters that I need to detail are the more pivotal monsters and even a few custom monsters that will be featured in the story._

_Story ago-go!_

* * *

**Chapter 2 : A Strange Package, A Misfit Gang and... A Blue-Eyes White Dragon?**

In a room of purest white, there was a table crafted of once brown mahogany. This table had been carved into the shape of a pentagon so that five individuals could all sit at the table at once. There were five seats positioned at each point of the pentagon, each as different as the individual who sat in them.

From a top-view, the seat in the lower right corner was a beanbag chair decorated with animals. The fabric itself seemed old, worn and frayed, and several of the animals were either gone or vanishing.

Adjacent to the beanbag chair, also located at the base of the pentagon, there was a simple wooden chair. This chair was, perhaps, the most worn of them all; the legs were visibly splintered and the stars that were once expertly painted on them lacked their glistening shine.

On the left angle of the pentagon, stood the second largest of the seats. It was, quite simply, a Queen's Throne with all the decorations; velvet lining, solid gold frame and even a foot stool. The throne had seen better days; it was void of its previously dazzling color but was possibly in the best condition of the seats.

Across from the throne, was the largest of the chairs. It was nearly twice the size of the throne and composed completely of metal. It was a pale gray in color and looked more like a small cage than a chair. It was warped and misshapen, as though something heavy had been sitting in it for years.

And at the head of the table, amongst the odd collection of seats, was an old bar stool.

And soon, the table would be occupied by five beings who had life threatening matters to discuss.

The room itself seemed to be modeled after a European church's inner sanctum. The windows were stories tall and adorned with silk curtains. The room was wide and spacious and the ceiling had multiple chandeliers providing light. Yet such a large room held only the table and chairs...

And a large pair of white wooden double doors that shook.

"Is everything in this blasted realm reaching the end of its days?" The double doors shook a few more times, each motion becoming more and more violent until the individual on the outside seemed to give up. "Open you accursed-" The double doors burst open, the doorknobs on the opposite side hitting the walls of the room. Before the two doors began to sway closed again, a male stepped into the room and looked around. He inhaled deeply and let out a heavy sigh.

The man wore an all white suit, complete with coat tails and a top hat. He wore speckled leather shoes that clacked with each step he took. In his hands was a cane topped with a jewel, possibly a diamond. His hair, at least what was visible beneath his hat, was tri-colored. The main color was white, nothing like that of an Albino, but as white as drawing paper. There were some black locks peeking from the back of his hat and from either side and two black and gold strands of hair caressed his face every time he walked.

"It seems like I'm the first one here." The man who had addressed himself as Gentleman to the Crimson Dragon walked towards the pentagon shaped table. "As usual." He walked past all the other chairs and sat on the stool at the head of the pentagon. "Afterall, it's fitting for the leader of a group to arrive on time, is it not?" He uttered beneath his breath, his tone cynical.

As he spoke those words, there was another rattle from the two doors. On the opposite side, the male heard a small girl's voice let out a grunt. The man stood from his stool, and waltzed towards the doors. The small girl constantly shook the doors until the male pulled them open from his side.

The girl's head reached to about the male's mid-section. She had fading teal hair tied into a single ponytail that was slung over her left shoulder. The girl looked up at the mail with shimmering, pale topaz eyes.

"Good afternoon, little miss." Gentleman spoke to the girl.

The expression of surprise drained away from the girls' face. "Good afternoon." She watched as the man stepped aside and bowed to her while holding the door open. "That's awfully nice of you." She remarked, stepping in with a form of curtsey. The girl wore a denim outfit that seemed more appropriate for teenagers, although the skirt addition gave the look a touch of innocence.

"It's what gentlemen do." The man replied, giving her a Cheshire grin.

"So I've learned..." The girl's voice was shockingly mature.

"Fret not over the details, my dear Warden." Gentleman followed the young girl referred to as Warden to her beanbag chair and gestured towards the seat. "Because the news I bear will undoubtedly-"

Gentleman cut himself off and looked towards the double doors. "If you would pardon me." Gentleman bowed to Warden. The girl looked to the door herself, and shooed Gentleman away with the wave of a hand. Gentleman noticed the look of worry on her face and got the message.

In a second, Gentleman had cleared the large room and was pulling the doors open. And not a second too late; Gentleman opened his arms, and caught a woman who looked not only off balance, but also unconscious. The woman had dull gray hair that cascaded over her neck and shoulders. She wore a tiara as a hair band as well.

Slowly, her deep, pale red eyes fluttered open, allowing her to see the face of the man who caught her.

"Release me at once." Her voice dripped with acid.

"A pleasure to see you, too, Stargazer." Gentleman muttered the female's name, helping Stargazer stand upright before unhanding her. "I see you're as delighted to see me, as usual." Gentleman gave Stargazer a bow, tipping his hat in the process.

"The very sight of you calls bile to my throat." Stargazer turned away from Gentleman and walked towards the throne.

"Ah," Gentleman smiled as he followed Stargazer to her seat. "Nice to see I _caught_ you in a good mood." Gentleman smirked at his wordplay, strolling past Stargazer and standing at her throne. "Please, allow me-" Gentleman took a step back as the throne slid back on its own. Stargazer sat down, adjusted herself in the seat, and the throne moved forward towards the table.

"I don't need your hands on my possessions." Stargazer spoke to Gentleman but looked towards Warden. "Good afternoon, Warden."

"Good afternoon, Stargazer." Warden replied with a nod of her head. Warden then looked to Gentleman who was walking back towards the double doors.

"Don't concern yourself with his antics." Stargazer whispered so that Gentleman could not hear her. "I'm sure this emergency meeting of his is nothing more than a farce."

"Perhaps..." Warden watched as Gentleman opened the double doors and let out a laugh. "But even his most foolish antics could have ingenious motivations."

"Are you giving him..." Stargazer turned up her nose as though she smelled spoiled milk. "A compliment?"

"Of course not." Warden hissed, watching as a large pair of armored hands lifted Gentleman off his feet. Gentleman let out a laugh as the hands almost two-thirds the size of his torso placed him back to the floor. He took one of the tremendous hands in both of his own and shook it.

"One must always be wary of snakes in their gardens..."Warden watched as a large male dressed in gray armor walked into the room. Gentleman bowed to him tipping his hat and pointed towards the two conversing females already seated at the table.

* * *

Many people stared at the sight in wonder. While duelists riding on specialized motorcycles crafted for the purpose of playing a card game at high speeds had become a common thing in recent years, seeing one control a duel runner with their _feet _was truly spectacle. So you could imagine how their reactions of shock and surprise exploded into gasps and comments of utter disbelief when they realized that the green haired duelist was piloting his duel runner with his feet while he was _asleep._

"We have reached our destination." Equinox slowly pulled up to the sidewalk. Jake let out a grunt and shook himself awake. "Automatically engaging temporary safety lock."

Jake let out a yawn and forced himself of Equinox. He stretched his body for a few moments before looking at the duel runner shop. "This place has seen better days, huh?"

The place was called 'Right as Rain Repairs'. Its name was advertised above the store in letters that, judging by the light bulbs inside of each letter, lit up at night. Its slogan was also advertised: 'We keep your duel runner running!'. The sign looked a bit worn, but the building itself looked much worse for wear.

It was a single story complex that simply looked like a gas station with a side annex for working on multiple duel runners at once. There was the main section of the shop where people would make their orders and select parts, a section used solely for refueling on the right hand side, and the left hand side, the largest section of the building, currently had three duel runners being worked on by a number of stereotypical 'grease monkeys'.

"I don't like it." Jake looked over his shoulder at Equinox.

"Current fuel level is below ten percent." Equinox's 'voice' reminded Jake. "Objectives; refill fuel and pick up the package referenced in the email from the unknown sender."

"You're right, you're right," Jake grimaced. "I don't have to like the place. Besides, we should be out of Patiti Civic before the sun sets." Jake looked up at the sky and let out a huff "It's been years since I've been home."

"Would you fill my tank before reminiscing, Jake?." Equinox ruined Jake's nostalgic moment. Jake grumbled and made his way towards the gas station. The bells chimed as Jake walked in, and a male clerk roughly around his age greeted him cheerily.

"Yo!" The clerk waved.

"Hey," Jake waved back. He was always one who appreciated manners. And when coupled with genuine politeness, well... "How's your day goin'?" Jake made small talk.

"A lot like the gas we pump." The guy grinned. "Good overall quality, but a pretty slow burn rate."

Jake laughed. "Nice one."

"Just came up with it." The clerk's grin grew a bit. "How's it going for a guy with such a sweet ride?" He pointed through the large windows at the green duel runner.

"A lot like my ride here," Jake checked out the stock of candy. "Drifting on autopilot and in desperate need for fuel." The clerk gave Jake a chuckle. "Got any good eats around here?"

"We got a deli. May not have the widest selection, but I can make a mean ham and cheese."

"I'll take two of those," Jake picked up a bag of gummy candy. "Three of these, and a few gallons of the purest gas you got. High octane, low fuel emission."

The clerk raised an eyebrow. "What kind of fuel does she burn?" 'She' referred to Jake's duel runner, not that the clerk knew that Jake modeled the computer after a female. It was common for vehicles to be referred to as females. Jake never really knew, nor cared, why, though...

"A custom multi hybrid engine," Jake kept the details to a minimum. "She can run diesel, regular and most premiums. Maybe even electricity if I tried hard enough."

The clerk whistled. "What's her base octane?"

"Ninety-five." Jake pulled out his wallet as the clerk gasped. "How much is that all together?"

"Two ham and cheeses, three bags of candy, and reformulated premium gasoline. How many gallons?"

"Until she's full, and a little extra in a carry tin. I'd say six." Jake watched as the register ringed up. He frowned at the numbers on screen.

"Yeah," The clerk noticed the look on Jake's face. "The price of gas keeps going up. Wanna make that four gallons instead?" Jake shook his head.

"I need the gas and I can cover the cost... I just won't be sleeping in a bed tonight." Jake let out a sad laugh then checked his wallet. "I'm not carrying everything on me. Rest of it is on my ride."

"Well then," The clerk sounded nervous. "You may wanna check on your ride because there's a few shady people checking her out." He pointed out of the window. Jake spun around, and sure enough, three guys formed a circle around Equinox.

"That's my girl for you," He chuckled. "Drawing all the guy's attention."

"Listen, buddy," The clerk began. "You seem alright by me, so I'll tell you this now. Those guys are a part of a gang around here, and you don't look like you're exactly familiar with the area..."

"That I'm not," Jake understood what the clerk was trying to tell him.

"So, I'll just give the local authorities a ring-"

"No need," Jake shrugged it off. "I've got this." He then remembered the second objective he received in the mail "Oh, and could you get me the item kept in this locker number?" Jake slipped the clerk a slip of paper with the number from the email. The clerk looked at the number and then to Jake incredulously.

"I didn't think anyone would ever come to pick this up!"

"It's been there long?" Jake asked, suspicious.

"Long? That thing was dropped off when I was twelve."

"And you're what? Twenty?" Jake asked, masking the surprise in his voice perfectly.

"Twenty two." The clerk chuckled, happy to still seem youthful. "Still, I'm surprised that we kept the darn thing. Then again, they never missed a payment-"

"Tell me about it after I get back, okay?" Jake waved the clerk off as the bells chimed. "And make sure you have...whatever that package is and one of those sandwiches ready!" Jake casually walked out of the store towards his duel runner. One of the three men, a man with sunglasses, a black tank top and a spikey mohawk, was inspecting the driver seat and the controls.

"Where's the ignition on this thing?" He asked his comrades.

"Don't know," replied the larger male with no shirt. "But look at the wheels. That's a custom job."

"Color's a bit odd, though." The third, short and scrawny male with large earrings critiqued. He also had a stud going through his nose. "And the frame is unappealing."

"Everyone's a critic..." Jake hissed under his breath. His eyes widened as the mohawk male went to put his hands on the clutch. "Don't!" The moment the boy touched it, Equinox's alarm went off, making loud blaring noises and beeps as the headlights flashed on and off. The three men moved away from the duel runner, covering their ears. Jake jogged forward and punched in a code on the touch screen computer. The alarm shut down instantly.

"Jeez man," the fat one complained. "That gave me a heart attack."

"I'm surprised it wasn't the extra fries..." The studded man snarled. The fat one glared at him, but made no sign of response.

"Smooth ride, man." The mohawk man addressed Jake who now put Equinox into neutral and began to push the vehicle into a pumping lane.

"Thanks," Jake spoke nonchalantly. "Made it myself."

"Really?" The earrings one chirped. "That's a unique style." His voice was cynic.

"Yeah," Jake sounded equally cynical. "Color's a bit odd, though. And the frame's unappealing." He then shot the pierced man a dirty look. He huffed, clearly upset he had been heard but too prideful to admit it. The larger man laughed openly at Jake's comment.

"So," the mohawk man followed Jake to the pump, eyeing the rotating wheels. "How much you want for it?"

"_It,_" Jake nearly growled. "Is not for sale." Jake noticed the man dart forward as he went for the pump. The man hopped on the duel runner and revved the engine.

"Later, sucker!" He cackled and began to roll off.

"Initiate return mode." Jake spoke calmly, not even bothering to turn around. Equinox, already touching the asphalt, stopped, flinging the man off the motorcycle. It then reversed on its own and wheeled back to where Jake waited with the gas pump. "Good girl." Jake whispered to himself, inserting the gas pump. With a loud 'click' the brakes set and metal guards fell over the wheels. Jake now knew that Equinox was going nowhere.

"So," Jake walked towards the mohawk'd one who was trying to get on his feet. "What do you want broken first? Your arm or your jaw?"

"You miserable little-" The mohawk man looked at his two fellow gang members. "Get hi-" He crumpled to the ground after Jake slugged him across the chin.

"Jaw it is." Jake shook his hand, frowning that the blow wasn't a clean hit. "Your mohawk looked stupid, anyway." Jake added insult to the injury. Jake flexed his fingers and looked at the other two gang members. "Who's next?" He then looked at the one with the large loop earrings. "Why not you, Pin cushion?"

"Pin – Pin cushin?!" That obviously upset him. He rushed Jake, arms wide open in an attempt to grab him. Jake stepped to the side, and half roundhouse kicked him in the face. He, too, crumpled after one hit.

Jake looked at the larger man with a bit of a cocky grin. "So, we gonna do this?" The larger man shook his head furiously. "Smart." Jake then pointed over his shoulder at Equinox. "I saw you looking at the wheels. Did you notice the black trim inside of the green frame?"

"Y-yeah, actually." The man gulped. "I thought it was a nice touch." He watched as Jake nodded in appreciation "Matched the color scheme of the controls well."

"Oh, you noticed?" Jake walked over to Equinox and casually leaned against it. He looked down at the two unconscious men on the ground. "So...you don't get along with them well?" Jake's skills at reading people shone through.

The larger man shook his head. "They're jerks, and I just met them today." After a few moments of silence he added. "They make fun of my weight."

"That's just beyond rude..." Jake clicked his tongue. "Want me to hit them again when they wake up?" The larger man laughed and nodded. "Done. What's your name, by the way?"

"The boss gave me my name." He then sighed. "It's Tubbs."

"That's not even – ugh..." Jake felt pity for the teenager. "What's your _real _name?"

"Trust me," the man laughed, sounding jolly. "Tubbs is _way_ better."

Jake chuckled. "I'll take your word for it. What about those two?"

"I know that one's Pierce." He pointed to the man with the mohawk. "And I think that's...Spike." He then pointed to the man with the many piercings.

"Huh," Jake marveled. "You'd think that'd be reversed..."

"Yeah, I wondered the same thing." Tubbs chuckled. "Sorry about your ride, though."

Jake lifted an eyebrow. "You're apologizing for attempted grand theft auto? Well, being an accessory..."

"I was really just admiring it. It was Spike who wanted to steal it." Tubbs looked around before adding "Not even the boss likes stealing."

"The boss?" Tubbs nodded to Jake. "He doesn't like it, but does he still allow theft?" Tubbs nodded again. Jake sighed.

"Oh!" Tubbs closed the distance between him and Jake, but did not block his path. "The boss might be on his way here to check out your ride, since Spike called it in as an official grab."

"An official grab?" Jake mimed. He noticed the clerk peek outside.

"Yeah, we've got to keep records of what we jack. You know, for expenses and gang rankings and stuff. But, since Spike hasn't called back, he's most likely on his way to investigate himself. You should take off before he gets here!"

"Why are you helping me out?" Jake asked cautiously. "Isn't going against your gang a huge risk?"

Tubbs shrugged. "They're only based in this part of town, and my family is moving soon. I figured I'd clean up my act and become a dentist, or something."

Jake laughed. "You really are a smart kid." It was then he heard loud music from a few blocks down. "What is that awful racket?!"

"That's the boss' custom track," Tubbs explained. "He blares it to let people know he's in a rush and to get out of his way."

"That so called music is definitely a repellent." Jake shuddered. "It sounds like techno, heavy metal and percussion all had a very, very ugly baby and tried to bury it in bluegrass." Tubbs fell to the ground in laughter at Jake's description of the music. Jake, with a prominent frown on his face, watched as a beat up car pulled up to the gas station. There was so much graffiti and other frame issues that Jake could not recognize the car type, other than it was a four door sedan.

The music only got louder as the driver door opened. Jake watched as a man about his height scanned the street. He was bald with a slanted hook shaped scar going down the back of his head from behind his left ear and ending on the right side of his chin. He wore a leather jacket and pants with combat boots.

"Are those... spurs?" Jake held in a laugh as the driver of the sedan walked around the car, the metal accessories of his shoes jingling with each step. "Oh my gosh, those are spurs, and he's not even wearing cowboy boots."

The driver stopped in front of the gas station and surveyed the area. He saw his two of his boys lying unconscious on the ground, and the third was writhing with a pained expression on his face. There was also a man in green with a very smug half-grin on his face.

"So," His voice was gruff. It, along with his music, would be a pain to any sane pair of ears. "You're the chump who my boys were gonna jack?" He then looked over to the green duel runner. "Huh. Nice ride."

"Thanks." Jake's voice held no humor; this 'boss' had called him a chump.

"I could probably get a good part or two if I scrapped it."

Jake gritted his teeth. '(This guy is going down.)' Jake clenched his fist. It wasn't until now that Jake noticed a standard model duel disk on his wrist. The 'boss' caught the look in Jake's eye when he spotted the duel disk.

"You're a duelist, judging by your duel runner." The 'boss' held up his duel disk. "I'm a duelist. Let's duel."

Jake raised an eyebrow. He wanted to settle this with his fists, not with a card game. "A duel?" Jake let his voice convey his dismay.

"Yeah, that's fair, right?" The leader of the gang gave a cruel grin. "You'd rather that than get jumped by seven guys, right?"

Jake watched as three more gang members emerged from the car their leader drove. Tubbs heard this and stood. To Jake's surprise, both Spike and Pierce also got up, rubbing their faces. The six goons regrouped behind their leader.

"I've done better in worse situations." Jake spoke in a no nonsense tone. The Leader laughed; it was even more annoying than his voice.

"I like your cockiness, kid." Jake scowled; this 'Leader' couldn't have been more than four years older than himself. "But see, I just got this sweet new deck, so I'm in a good mood. I'll let you duel me, one on one, and if ya win, you and your duel runner can get the hell out of my town."

"But boss!" Pierce, the mohawk'd individual spoke up. "He-"

"Shut it." Leader quipped, silencing the male. Jake sighed and pulled out his flip phone. He punched a few keys, earning a look from Leader. "Calling for back up?"

Jake watched his screen; a message popped up in green text: _Tank capacity below fifty percent_. He punched in a specific code, and Equinox beeped.

"Disengaging duel disk." Leader and his crew looked to Equinox.

"Whoa," Leader breathed. "It talks." He watched as Jake walked to the duel runner and dislodge his own standard model duel disk from his vehicle. "And it's remote controlled." He whistled. "Maybe I won't scrap it after I win it."

"Here's the deal," Jake yelled so that Leader could hear him over the music that was still blasting from the car. "If you win, you get my duel runner. If I win, you and your breakfast club cover my bill." He pointed to the gas tank's price meter that was still rolling over. "And I get out of 'your town'."

Leader laughed. "That's it? You get the chance to ask for anything from strongest gang in town-"

"The only gang in town." Jake interrupted. He had spoken louder than anticipated, and Leader apparently heard him - especially since the music subsided. "So that nasty music decides to end now of all times?" Jake watched as the Leader bore an even more aggressive expression.

"You can beat up my men, and you can even mock my gang," Leader pointed at Jake and spat "But no one, and I mean _no one _disrespects my song!" As he finished his sentence, the music looped and started again. Jake rubbed his temples, truly considering just knocking them out.

"You've ruined my good mood, Greenie. Now, if I win, we get your duel runner, and you!"

"Fine!" Jake snapped. "And, _when_ I win, all of you will wash my ride and give me _all _of your money!"

"Agreed!" Leader snapped back, engaging his duel disk. "Looks like I'll be getting a new member!"

"Just, please, turn off that garbage before we duel! I refuse to duel to the sound of cats being beaten with a cheese grater!"

**Jake's Life Points : 8000**

**Gang Leader's Life Points: 8000**

"Let's duel!" Both duelists declared, drawing five cards after the automatic shuffler stopped. To Jake's delight, the song playing on the Gang Leader's stereo stopped when one of the goons stuck his hand in and turned off the track. Now, Jake could concentrate.

"I'll go first!" Leader drew a card. "I'll summon my **Warrior Dai-Grepher** in attack mode!" (1700/1500)

"Next, I'll equip him with **Lucky Iron Axe**! With it, he gains five hundred attack points. (1700 – 2200 ATK) I'll set one card and end my turn."

"My move," Jake drew a card. "I'll summon** 'Ataguchu'**! (900/0) Next, I'll use his effect. I declare one of the three Card Types: Monster, Spell or Trap, then reveal the top card of my deck. If I call it right, I can add that card to my hand, but if it's wrong, I chuck the card and Ataguchu goes into Defense mode. I say the next card on the top of my deck is a monster!"

Jake drew another card and placed it face-down on his duel disk. Beside him, a hologram of the card popped up. "It's a monster, just as I thought!" Jake grinned and placed the card in his hand.

"Lucky break, kid."

"Probably. Now, I'll set two cards and end my turn."

"I'll draw, and then I'll have my Warrior attack your weak monster!"

"I'll activate my trap card; **Defense Draw**! I take no damage from the attack, and I get to draw a card."

"You trying to draw something strong enough to stop my Warrior? I'll set a monster and call it a turn."

"You get him, Boss!" Pierce shouted from the sidelines.

"I'll set a monster and another card in my back row. Your move." Jake declared the end of his turn.

"His luck's already run out!" Spike also jumped on the bandwagon.

_Status:_

_Jake: LP: 8000 Hand: 4 Field: 1 Set monster, Two Face-down S/T_

_Gang Leader: LP: 8000 Hand:4 Field: 1 Monster (2200ATK) One Face-down S/T_

"I'll activate my **Shield Crush** spell card," Leader played the card he drew on his Draw Phase. "And destroy your Defense position monster!"

"Since **Supay** was destroyed by a card effect," Both Jake and Leader watched the monster revealed on Jake's last turn, an orange mask, vanish. "I can bring out my **Oracle Of The Sun** in attack mode, directly from my deck! Plus, since it was summoned by Supay's effect, it's attack is doubled!" (2000/2000)

"Its doubled attack is still nothing for Grpeher! Attack!"

"Go, **Dust Tornado**! Destroy his Lucky Iron Axe!" Jake activated another trap card.

Dai Grepher's Attack: 2200-1700

Oracles's Attack: 2000

1700-2000 = -300

Leader's LP: 8000 – 7700

"Since Lucky Iron Axe was destroyed by your card effect. I can draw. Oh, and look at that. Since she was added to my hand by a card effect, I can special summon my **Rose Fairy** from my hand! (600/1300).

"I'll use Dust Tornado's second effect, and Set another Spell or Trap card in my hand!" Jake placed another card in his Spell/Trap card zone.

"I'll end my turn with another set monster. It's your move, Greenie."

_Status:_

_Jake: 3 cards In hand. One monster (2000 ATK). Two S/T face-down_

_Leader; 3 cards in hand. Three monsters (1300 DEF, Two Set. Two Face-down S/T_

"Oracle is returned to my hand during the End Phase of the turn it was summoned by Supay's effect. But now it's my turn. Draw!" Jake scanned his hand, "Since you control monsters and I don't, I can Special Summon my monster once more. Come on out, Oracle! Now that he's in defense mode and here to stay, I'll bring out **Apocatequil**!"

"Go trap card, **Trecherous Trap Hole**! Since I have no traps in my grave, I can destroy two monsters on the field and I choose yours!"

"Since Oracle was destroyed and sent to the grave, I can add my Fire Ant Acastor to my hand. Next, since Apocatequil was sent to the grave, I can special summon my Oracle of the Sun from my Graveyard! C'mon back, again in defense mode!"

"Why won't that Oracle just stay down? Can't it see it's own destroyed future?"

"Finally, I'll set a third card. Your move."

He drew. "Finally is right! First, I'll change Rose Fairy to attack mode. Now, by tributing my two Set monsters, I can bring out my **Blue-Eyes White Dragon**!"

"Did he just say-" Pierce was stunned.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" Spike wasn't too far behind.

"His new deck has a Blue-Eyes?!" Tubbs shot Jake a cautious look. "Can he beat it?"

"How could you possess the legendary Blue Eyes White Dragon?" Jake was astounded. "There were only four made in the entire world, and Seto Kaiba declared that he'll be buried with three of them rather than have anyone else get them! How could a no good beatnik like you have the fourth?!" The two set monsters vanished and a gray haze descended over the field. Light emerged from the ground, and out of the light, with an immense roar, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose. Jake noticed something off about the dragon; its scales weren't white... they looked closer to the color silver and the blue eyes were a bit darker than blue...

Even with its odd coloring, this monster still boasted the legendary dragon's 3000 attack stat.

"You just called me a no good beatnik?!" The Gang Leader was stumped. "Who even says that anymore? Blue-Eyes! Attack his Oracle!"

"Let's go, **Floral Shield**! I can negate an attack, and draw a card!" Jake flipped the trap card he set last turn.

"You'll be drawing, alright, but my attack will go through! Go, **Dark Bribe **counter trap card! Negate his trap's activation and destroy it!"

Jake drew a card, and watched as his Oracle was wiped out by a silver beam of light.

"Now my Rose Fairy can attack you directly!"

Jake: 8000 – 7400

Jake stood unflinching as the orange clad fairy returned to the Leader's side of the field.

"It's my turn, so I'll draw," Jake glanced at his card. "And I'll activate **One Day Of Peace**! Neither of us take damage until the End Phase of your next turn, and we each can draw a card. Now, I'll summon my **Fire Ant Acastor** (700/1300), and attack your so-called Blue-Eyes!"

"Is he nuts?" Tubbs shouted.

"He's going to fight a dragon with an ant?!" Pierce was astounded.

"Bad color coordination and terrible math skills..." Spike clicked his tongue.

Jake's Fire Ant charged the the Dragon, but was crushed beneath its foot. "Now, since Fire Ant was destroyed by battle, I can bring back one level five monster from my grave! Oracle, return to the field!

"Will you get over that darn Oracle!"

"I'll chain my trap card to that summoning. **Call of the Reaper**! Come back Fire Ant Acastor!" The still shimmering pixels of Jake's Ant reassembled into his monster. "And now, I'll perform a Synchro Summon!"

"Synchro summon?!" The Gang Leader gasped. "That Ant's a tuner?"

The Ant became three level stars inside of a green ring. The animal skin clad male became five level stars that aligned with the three stars of the Fire Ant. The green ring grew larger as the eight level stars formed a circle. Jake lifted his hand towards the eight stars rapidly rotating inside of the large green circle.

"The Sun's light and warmth envelop all of creation. The blinding light shuns those that would close their eyes to the truth. My eyes are open, my vision is clear and my heart, full of your wisdom."

The green circle turned orange, its light forming wisps that made it resemble the sun. Four serpentine heads emerged from the center consecutively, each red-orange in color and sprouting long whiskers. The quadruple headed dragon roared as its sun shone brightly.

"Illuminate my path, **Sun Dragon Inti**!"

Jake: 4 cards in hand, no s/t one monster: SDI – 3000ATK

Leader: 4 cards in hand, one s/t, one monster: "BEWD" - 3000 ATK

"He Synchro Summoned a dragon of his own..." The Leader's goons were all in awe.

"You won't take damage, so I won't bother attacking your Rose Fairy. That's the end my turn." Jake sported a confident half-grin.

"Not bad, pulling off a monster that can rival my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Leader drew a card from his deck and gave Jake a sneer. "But now, I'll show you just how powerful this new deck of mine is! I'll activate my spell card **Hammer Shot**! It destroys the face-up attack position monster with the highest attack on the field!"

"Both our monster attack points are tied, so that means-"

"That means I can choose which monster gets destroyed, and I choose your Inti!" Leader cackled as Jake's dragon was crushed beneath a giant orange mallet. "Now that you have no monsters on the field, I attack you directly!"

"Did you forget about One Day of Peace? I take no damage from your attack!" Jake covered his eyes as the silver blast washed over him harmlessly.

"Tch... I got too excited. Your move, Greenie."

"Draw! I'll activate my spell card '**Inca Summoning Ritual'**!" Jake slipped a card into his Spell/Trap card zone on his duel disk. "It allows me to special summon one 'Fire Ant Acastor' or 'Supay' from my Graveyard, along with a monster with 1000 or less attack points. Come back to me, Supay and Oracle of the Sun!"

"Again with that Oracle?!" The Leader than realized. "That Supay is also a tuner?!"

"Yes it is!" Jake smiled, pointing to the orange mask on his field. "Now I'll perform a second Synchro summon, using my Supay and Oracle!" The orange mask became one level star inside of a green ring. The animal skin clad male became five level stars that aligned with the single star of Supay. The green ring grew larger as the six level stars formed a circle. Jake lifted his hand towards the six stars rapidly rotating inside of the large green circle.

"The Moon's glow encompasses all, and its shadow is ever present on all creation. The shimmering light purges all that would close their eyes to the tyranny. My eyes are open, my vision is clear and my heart, full of your wisdom."

The green circle turned navy blue, its light forming shadows that resembled craters on the moon. Four serpentine heads emerged from the center consecutively, each navy blue and cyan in color and sprouting long whiskers. The quadruple headed dragon roared as its moon shone brightly.

"Guide my path, **Moon Dragon Quilla!"** (2500/2000)

"Your move." Jake spoke as the four heads coiled together into a spherical ball.

"Ha! That dragon is no where near as strong as mine!" Leader exclaimed, drawing a card. "Blue-Eyes, attack!"

"When Quilla is attacked, I gain life points equal to half of the attacking monster's attack points!"

Jake LP: 7400 + 1500 = 8900

"And when it's destroyed," The cyan pixels Jake's Quilla exploded into changed to a bright orange color. "I can Special Summon my Sun Dragon Inti immediately from my Graveyard!"

"What?!" Leader grimaced as Jake's Sun Dragon took to the field once more. "Your monsters just won't stay down! I'll set a card, and call it a turn."

Jake drew a card '(Although our monsters are at a stalemate, I have more life points.)' He thought as he looked at his hand. '(Still, that's a Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his side of the field, even if it looks – wait a minute!)' Jake remembered some information he had recieved while in the middle of his last mission. '(Is it possible that...)'

"Where'd you get that deck of yours?" Jake inquired.

"Oh? Admiring my deck, are you?" Leader chuckled smugly.

"Something like that." Jake's tone was empty.

"I got it from some punk from Itmas, trying to move in on my turf." Leader then raised an eyebrow. "What's it to you?"

"Did you look at the card?" Jake asked precariously.

"Yeah," Leader snapped, pointing at the card on his duel disk. "It's the Blue-Eyes friggin' White Dragon. Everybody knows this card."

"Look at the hologram, then." Jake retaliated. "Isn't there something _off_ about your 'legendary' dragon?"

"What are you getting at, Greenie?"

"Nothing," Jake smirked. "Just that your White Dragon's eyes look a little blood shot. And _purple._"

"You calling my card a fake?"

"You tell me." Jake set a monster and a card on the field. "It's your move."

_Status:_

_Jake: LP: 8900 Hand: 2 Field: Monsters; 1 (3000 ATK) S/T: 3 Set_

_Gang Leader: LP: 7700 Hand:2 Monsters: 2 (3000 ATK, 600ATK) S/T: 2 Set_

"I'll tell you this!" Leader drew a card and placed it in his hand. He then plucked a different card from his hand and placed it in his Spell/Trap card zone. "**Stop Attack** shifts your lame dragon into defense mode." Like the dragon before it, Inti coiled itself into a spherical shape.

Sun Dragon Inti – 3000/2800

"And now, my Blue-Eyes can destroy your so called mighty dragon! White Lightning Attack!"

"Since Inti was destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, its effect triggers!" The Leader's Blue-Eyes let our a roar before exploding into pixels. The pixels levitated in the air for a moment, then turned around and faced Leader. "Any monster that destroys Inti in battle is destroyed in return, and then you take damage equal to half of its attack!"

Leader's LP: 7700 – 1500 = 6200

"Tch, I'll just use my **Birthwright** and bring back my Blue-Eyes to the field to attack you again!" One of his face-down cards revealed itself and glowed white. His Blue-Eyes White Dragon card emerged from the card frame with an echoing roar.

"Not so fast! The cycle of the sun and moon continues with my '**Eclipse Rebirth**' quick-play spell card!" Jake flipped one of his face-down cards face up. "If a monster with 'Sun' or 'Solar' in its name had an effect trigger during battle, and it's destroyed in the same battle, I can Special Summon one 'Moon' or 'Lunar' from my Graveyard with a lower level, so long as it's the same Type as the destroyed monster! Welcome back, Moon Dragon Quilla!"

"Grr..." Leader stared at the smug look on Jake's face. "Your stupid dragons just won't lie down and accept defeat!"

"They take after their owners; both original and current." Jake smirked at the Gang Leader. He seemed a bit thrown off, but shrugged off the comment.

"I'll attack your Moon Dragon Quilla!" He declared, his face turning red with frustration.

"And that makes its effect trigger!"

Jake's LP: 8900 + 1500 = 10400

"Honestly," Jake smiled as the cyan pixels turned orange and reformed to make his Sun Dragon Quilla. "You think you would have learned by now..."

"His face just got all red..." Spike sighed.

"He's gotten upset, and now he won't think clearly." Pierce shook his head.

"I'll set one final card, and end my turn..." Leader grumbled, his eyes staring holes into Jake. "Stupid sun and moon dragons..."

"Now I'll draw, and begin to bring this duel to an end!" Jake pulled a card from his deck. He looked at it with a grin before announcing: "During the following Standby Phase of a turn Inti was destroyed, Quilla comes back to my field!" With a glow of cyan light, Jake's Moon Dragon Quilla re-appeared next to Inti.

"Neither dragon is strong enough to take out my Blue-Eyes!"

"But my **Blasting Fuse** trap card is! Since all four card zones in this column are occupied, I can activate Blasting Fuse and destroy them!"

Blasting Fuse, Moon Dragon Quilla, Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Birthwright were destroyed.

"And I'll follow that up with my last face-down card; **Michizure**! When a monster card on the field is destroyed, I can destroy another one! So say goodbye to your Rose Fairy!"

"No, not my favorite card!" The Gang Leader complained. "You'll pay for destroying my fairy!"

Jake, clearly in the zone, paid the Gang Leader no mind. "Now I'll activate my **Temple of the Sun** spell card from my hand. It gives all monsters I control that have been Special Summoned from the Graveyard a bonus three hundred attack and defense ponts!"

Sun Dragon Quilla: 3000 – 3300

"And I'll activate one last spell card; **Monster Reborn**! And with it..."

"No!" Leader's eyes widened.

"I'll Special Summon-"

"No no!" Leader's face became red again.

"From _your _graveyard-"

"No no no!"

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon! And since I have Temple Of The Sun on my field, your Special Summoned Blue-Eyes gains 300 attack points since it's on my side of the field!" Jake pointed to the Purple-Eyes Silver Dragon that appeared on his side of the field.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon: 3000 – 3300

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon, White Lightning Attack!" Jake smiled inwardly. '(I've always wanted to say that. Who hasn't?)'

Leader's LP: 6200 – 3300 = 2900

"Gah," The Gang Leader uncovered his eyes, and spotted his face-down cards. "Did you forget about my traps? I'll activate all three of my 'Jar of Greeds!' I can draw a total of 3 cards!" He pulled three cards at once and silently whispered "Come on, **Kuriboh**..."

"Sun Dragon Inti, show him our might! Solar Crimson Purge!" Jake wasted no time once he saw the defeated look on the Gang Leader's face.

"Nooooooooo!" Leader yelled as he was engulfed in crimson and orange light, the last card he drew being a winking yellow **Winged Kuriboh** with black wings...

* * *

"Hey, hey!" Jake complained, pointing to the wheels of Equinox. "Make sure you get into the axles; I drove through some mud on the way here and I don't want it caking up!" He then bit into his third ham and cheese sandwich. "These things are pretty good."

"I told you I make a mean ham and cheese," The store clerk watched as the Gang Leader, Spike, Pierce, and the three other gang members scrubbed down Equinox. "Still, why did you let the big guy get away? Tubbs, was it?"

"He's supposed to be getting more soap," Jake then smiled to himself. "But, I guess he ran off. Ah well. He's learned his lesson, anyway."

Jake looked at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card in his hand. Leader looked back and watched as Jake smudged a bit of mustard on the surface.

"What the heck, man?!" Leader yelled, standing up.

"It's a fake." Jake pushed his thumb through the middle of the card, puncturing the card and nearly ripping it in half. Leader watched as Jake shook his hand, and the two halves fluttered to the ground. "See? The blend of materials is off, which results in duel disks reading the image on the card wrong and causes holographic errors." Jake explained bluntly as the Leader's look of disbelief grew. "If it were a real card, I would have needed both hands to rip it. Not to mention the card isn't known as the 'Purple-Eyes Silver Dragon'."

"You're saying that deck I jacked..."

"Was composed entirely of counterfeit cards." Jake scoffed. "Rather fitting, actually. Someone like you who doesn't respect the value of someone's deck doesn't deserve to own such a powerful card, or even be a duelist for that matter." Jake reached into his pocket and retrieved a feeble wad of bills. "And after you guys covered my expenses, you hardly had any money left over."

"You're an odd one, you know that?" The clerk laughed, "Oh," He lifted up a box from the ground. "Here's the pack- look out!" The clerk stepped backwards into the gas station. Jake turned around just in time to see Leader coming at him with a carjack, a tool used to lift vehicles off of the ground.

With little reaction time, Jake lifted his left arm to block the attack. The carjack hit Jake's duel disk, resulting in a loud crack and a split card zone. Surprised by Jake's reflexes, Leader jumped back to get some distance. Jake looked down at his broken duel disk; the life point indicator blinked four zeroes before going dim.

"This was a gift..." Jake whispered in subdued rage. He then looked up at Leader – only to find the man running back to his car.

"Cheese it, boys!" Leader shouted. "We may have been defeated, but we'll have our reven-ugh!" Leader fell forward face first as the broken duel disk flipped off of the back of his head. Both Leader and the duel disk fell with a thud. The gang members looked from their fallen Leader to Jake who was running towards them.

"Run away!" They all yelled, dropping the cleaning supplies and getting up to run. Two of them slipped on the now wet sidewalk, grabbing at their fellow members for support. Pierce and Spike managed to scurry past the pumps, only to be hit by Jake who had flung his body horizontally through the air.

The store clerk watched as Jake quickly dispatched the five gang members, yelling at them the entire time. "I think now's the time to call the authorities..." He muttered, picking up the phone behind the register. "At least, for their safety."

About twenty minutes later, Jake and the clerk watched as the three police 'patty wagons' drove off with the gang members in handcuffs.

"I should have just beat them up from the start..." Jake sighed. "I would have still gotten their money," he looked down at his duel disk which was now in two halves. "And this would still be intact."

"You _did _hit all of them with it..." The clerk quieted down when Jake shot him a look. "N-never mind. The point is you're fine and they're in custody." With a smile he added "And your bill's covered. Oh, and that gang will probably disband since their leader is facing jail time. That'll help business."

"Everybody's happy..." Jake stared at the broken white and blue duel disk. He looked back at the store clerk who held a large, unmarked cardboard box. "What's that?"

"The item that was in storage." He noticed the blank expression on Jake's face. "You know, the one you came here to pick up?"

"Oh." Jake took the box. "I nearly forgot all about that." Jake then remembered something else. "How long did you say this was here for?"

"Ten years." The clerk spoke with clear marvel in his voice. "And it wasn't until last week did I get the message that someone would be coming to pick it up."

"You said you were here when this was dropped off?" Jake continued after the clerk nodded. "Can you tell me who dropped it off?"

"He didn't give a name," The clerk placed a hand to his chin. "And, to be honest, I can't remember that day clearly since I had an accident a while back in the garage," he pointed to the garage annex beyond a heavy metal door with two windows on each side. "I hit my head on a car that was suspended by a hydraulic carjack."

Jake flinched at the word carjack, his eyes on his shattered duel disk.

"But I do remember that he was tall, maybe your height, and he had long hair that was...a color..."

"Hair that was a color?" Jake repeated. "Like what, white?" Jake offered hopefully.

"Now that you mention it..." The clerk began, sounding like he was remembering something. "I think it was white... or was it green, like yours?" The clerk sighed and gave a shrug. "I can't be a hundred percent sure, to tell the truth."

"It's all right," Jake was clearly depressed. "Well, I'll be going now."

"W-wait!" The clerk held out his hand as Jake began to turn away.

"What is it? The bill's been paid."

"No, it's not that..." The clerk pointed to the box. "I've been looking at that box for ten years, watching it gather dust. I could never open it myself because of company policy, but now that you've picked it up..."

"You're curious to know what's inside?"

"Curious doesn't even begin to describe it."

Jake gave the clerk a slow nod. "Alright. I won't deny you this." Jake then remembered just who he was, and who he was associated with. Not to mention who he considered his enemies. "Just, let me take a look at it first, in case it's something sensitive."

The clerk begrudgingly agreed to Jake's terms, honoring his company's privacy policy. Jake retrieved a swiss army knife from one of his many pockets and clicked out the knife attachment. He cut through the tape on the cardboard box and put it down on the counter. "Here we go..." He lifted the flap and pushed aside some packing peanuts. He let out a very loud gasp and stepped back from the box.

"Is it a bomb?!" The clerk asked. "Is it a million bucks?" He then swiftly added. "If it's a million bucks, don't forget there's a tip jar on your left."

Jake didn't pay the man's words any attention. He stuck his hands into the box, his eyes still wide, and he pulled out its contents. He turned around to show the clerk, who let out a whistle.

"Well I'll be damned..." The clerk watched as Jake strapped the item to his left arm. "It's a duel disk."

"Not just any duel disk..." Jake marveled at the duel disk; It was mainly green with black trim around the outside, card slots, and completely black on the deck and graveyard section. The life point indicator was surrounded with spiked decal, resembling a sun. The card zone shape was reminiscent of a crescent moon. "It's the duel disk that I've been making blueprints of for the past few months..."

"You make duel disks?" The clerk asked.

"I've been waiting to get back home so that I could start making it..." Jake continued, unaware of the clerk. "How...how can this be?" Jake then inspected it closer; just beneath his wrist, he noticed that the base of the duel disk was much larger than on any other duel disk he'd even seen, standard or otherwise.

"What's this?" Jake placed a finger to the base, and felt a small groove. "A keyhole of some sort?" He shook the duel disk. It sounded as though there were something _inside _of the duel disk itself. "A mystery within a mystery..." Jake murmured. He then got an idea and walked out of the front door. The clerk hurried after him, although Jake didn't seem to notice.

Jake stopped in front of Equinox.

"Equinox," the duel runner beeped in response to Jake's voice. "Engage duel disk connection." With a second beep, the controls for Equinox split apart and a stand for a duel disk popped up. Jake unstrapped the duel disk from his arm and placed it on the stand.

"Synchronize new duel disk?" Equinox asked.

"Synchronize?" Jake repeated quietly. "Troubleshoot; didn't I program you to automatically relay information with standard duel disks so that I could just jump into a duel?"

"Correct." Equinox replied.

"Then why are you asking for synchronization confirmation?"

"Because this is not a standard duel disk." Equinox answered autonomously.

"No duh..." Jake sighed. "Elaborate, Equinox."

"The dimensions of this duel disk are very different than that of a standard issue duel disk. To be precise, this duel disk seems to have had been custom made to fit my interior perfectly." After a moment of silence, Equinox asked in an arguably curious tone. "Is this a completed prototype of the duel disk you wanted to create upon reaching our destination?"

"No, it's not." Jake spoke seriously. "This duel disk turned out to be the package we were picking up from our first way point."

'So you're going somewhere?" Jake looked over his shoulder at the clerk. "What, forgot I was here?" Jake frowned at the clerk; he didn't need anyone overhearing details that even he didn't know about.

"Thanks for everything, and sorry about the commotion I caused."

"You're taking off?" The clerk frowned himself.

"Yeah. Got more drifting to do." Jake mounted Equinox and put on his helmet.

"Well then, take care." The clerk added after a few moments "If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, feel free to pop in and say hi."

"Will do." Jake gave the clerk a nod as he revved his engine.

"I'll make you a ham and cheese, on the house."

"That sounds good." Jake offered with a smile as he pulled out of the gas station.

"And I'll refill your ride, too! But that's half-price. That fuel you're burning isn't exactly cheap!"

Jake gave the clerk a wave and peeled off into the setting sun.

"Engage auto-pilot."

"Auto pilot engaged." Equinox informed as Jake took his hands off the controls. He stared down at the duel disk he had just received. "So it fits Equinox perfectly..." Jake looked at his left arm. "As well as me..."

"Shall I commence a level five security lock-down before commencing a data media scan?"

"Data media – Equinox, you mean to tell me that this duel disk not only fits both of us, and has something inside of it, but it also has something _recorded _on it?" Jake glanced down at the screen that beeped.

"Initial scans reveal several multimedia files, some are even encrypted."

"Alright." Jake's voice was stern. "A level five security scan it is. If things go really bad, be prepared to eject that sucker in a second."

"Understood. Level five security scan commencing... buffering firewall...protecting high priority data...hiding way points and other temporary files... Interesting Intel discovered."

"Talk to me." Jake kept his eyes on the low traffic road.

"There is a message that was designed to play during this scan."

"That is interesting."

"There's more." Equinox let out a succession of beeping sounds.

"I'm listening."

"According to the message and the encryption, it was designed to play during a level five security scan."

Jake's eyes shot down to the screen. "We're not even halfway through the scan, yet the duel disk not only knows it's being scanned, but it also knows the program being used?"

"Warning!" Equinox's voice sounded alarmed and began to emit a wailing siren sound. "External media is overriding security!"

"Override? Equinox, stop the scan!"

"Attempting...unsuccessful."

"What do you mean unsuccessful? Try again, and don't stop until it is successful!"

"Second attempt...third attempt...All security features have been disabled." Equinox's voice was no longer alarmed.

Jake applied the emergency brakes as he approached the curb. "What?!"

"Firewalls disabled. Encryptions have been broken. Passwords and personal files are being accessed."

Jake grabbed the duel disk and tried to pull it free. "Disengage the duel disk!"

"Synchronizing duel disk to internal hardware and software."

"That is NOT what I told you to do!" Jake grunted as he continued pulling at the duel disk.

"Synchronizing duel disk with wireless media Business cellphone and wireless media Leisure cellphone."

"Oh, come on!" Jake jumped off of Equinox and lifted his fist over his head. He then brought his fist down on the duel disk, but it did not budge. "Son of a bi-"

"Watch your language!" Equinox scolded.

"You can't stop a mass hack, but you can stop me from cursing?!"

"Synchronizing duel disk to helmet."

Jake grabbed the helmet on his head and began to pull.

"Beginning automatic voice playback."

The word 'Playing' popped on the inside of the visor and Jake was greeted by a male voice.

"Relax, Jake." Jake stopped puling on the helmet.

"Who -" He looked around, but was alone on the street. "Wait, is this the recording?!"

"If I'm correct, you probably didn't read the message on the duel disk yet. This synchronization process is not a hack. Well, technically, it is, but it's not a _bad _hack. It's more like a firmware update."

"Synchronization process complete." Equinox updated Jake. "Security features rebooting."

"Screw that," Jake growled. "Scan this for any clues as to its origin. I'll track down who did this to you and I'll-"

"I'll say it again, Jake. Relax." Only now did Jake realize that the male voice was being masked by voice changing technology. "All of your files are safe. In fact, you'll find a few new files that just might help you in times to come. Especially regarding one gentlemen with white hair..."

Jake felt his body go numb; how did they, he, whoever 'he' was - know about that?

"Now that I've got your attention, go ahead and search the new files on Equinox. Also check the way-points you set yesterday. You'll find that you have a few new stops to make. Recording end."

With a beep, the recording ended.

"Shall I perform a complete systems check?" Equinox asked. Jake stood there for a moment, silent as his heart rate slowed down. "Jake?" Equinox asked again.

"Y-yeah." Jake removed his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Also, playback that recording to yourself and see if you can decipher that voice. Once we know everything is still in place, check the way-points and scan for new files like that voice said."

Jake sat down on the sidewalk, his feet on the asphalt of the street, for the hour that the process took.

"What did you find, Equinox?" Jake sounded exhausted and defeated.

"All original files are intact and nothing has been accessed – aside from granting the duel disk clearance to remote functionality."

Jake, who was running his fingers through his long, fine hair, looked up. "Come again?"

"The duel disk is completely compatible with my firmware and runs on the same channel as all other wireless communications performed by me. It is even possible for the duel disk to reverse its wireless capabilities and call me to its current location – so long as that distance is within a still being calculated distance – presumably four hundred yards."

"So...that duel disk was made specifically for you?"

"Clarification: Made specifically for us."

"For...us?" Jake was now lost.

"Shall I explain?"

"Please do." Jake almost whined.

"Upon synchronization, the dimensions and weight of the duel disk was confirmed to be mathematically compatible with your own height and weight." After a beat, Equinox added, in Jake's own voice. "Besides, don't you see this color scheme?!"

"I remember that day," Jake smiled. "That's what I said when I first painted you – didn't I tell you to stop playing back my own voice?! It's weird!"

"I could not resist." Equinox, to Jake's surprise, sounded like it was suppressing a laugh.

"Are you...laughing?"

"One of the programs downloaded from the duel disk was an update on the personality program you installed not too long ago. This features more realistic emotion impersonation, as well as updated vocabulary and information on Duel Monsters cards that was previously absent from my internal database."

"A firmware update..." Jake recalled what the voice had said. He then stood up and bushed himself off. "Okay, we're off!"

"To?" Equinox asked, sounding confused.

"Man, I'm going to need to get used to that..." Jake shuddered and put his helmet back on. He noticed he had several new features on his head-up display. "That's new...I can actually _see _the way-point." Jake shook his head; even if it wasn't a _bad _hack, it was still a hack. "We're heading to our new first destination. Where is it, and how far?"

"It's in Neo Copan City, in the opposite direction from our original destination."

"Well, seeing as how whoever it was that left us the duel disk was nice enough to upgrade you -"

"Financial update." Equinox interrupted Jake. "Money has just been transferred to both your business and leisure bank accounts."

"Money? Display information on the helmet." Jake watched the loading bar fill up quickly. His mouth dropped as he counted the amount of zeros between the two accounts. "Where did this come from?"

"An unknown sender. Traces to the bank account shows that the account was terminated shortly before the transfer was completed."

"You don't say..." Jake spoke lowly. "Think it was from our Secret Santa?"

"Is that how we'll address this mysterious benefactor that provided you with a custom duel disk and a small fortune?"

"Yes, yes it is." Jake revved Equinox's engine.

"Then it is very likely that this money is from our...Secret Santa."

"What, you don't like the phrase?"

Equinox replied: "Engage autopilot to the next way-point?"

"Since when do you ignore my questions?" Jake sensed he could not get an answer and sighed. "Fine, but you've still yet to tell me where we're going."

"It's called the Black Magician's Bar." Equinox researched the address. "And we're supposed to meet someone there."

"The Black Magician's Bar? Odd name... Alright, let's ride, Equinox."

Equinox's engine rolled over as Jake leaned back in the seat. "Wake me up when we get there. And put the duel disk down so that I can rest my feet."

"Understood, Jake." Equinox retracted the duel disk and the controls closed over it. The duel runner pulled away from the curb and drove into a tunnel. Above the tunnel, a green sign with white text read:

Neo Copan City: 50 miles ahead

* * *

_This duel featured custom cards made by authors of fanfiction who submitted characters for this story. Those cards, along with their characters, are their sole property. Should you like to use any of the following cards, or any other custom cards featured in this work, you must obtain their consent and give them proper credit afterward._

**Ataguchu**

[EARTH Pyro/Effect] LV 1 ATK: 900 DEF: 0

Once per turn: Declare one card type (Monster, Spell or Trap). Reveal the top card of your Deck. If the revealed card is the type you declared, add it to your hand. If it is not, send the card to the Graveyard and change this monster to Defense Position.

Created by Xen Kenshin. Used by Jake - Created by Xen Kenshin.

**Inca Summoning Ritual **[Normal Spell]

This card can only be activated during your Main Phase 1. You cannot activate/chain another Spell/Trap Card during the turn you activate this card. Special Summon one 'Fire Ant Ascator' or one 'Supay' along with one monster with 1000 or less attack from your Graveyard. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn.

Created by Xen Kenshin. Used by Jake – Created by Xen Kenshin

**Eclipse Rebirth** [Quick-play]

If a monster with 'Sun' or 'Solar' in its name had an effect trigger during battle, and it is destroyed in the same battle: Special Summon one 'Moon' or 'Lunar' from your Graveyard with a lower level, so long as it is the same Type as the destroyed monster.

If a monster with 'Moon' or 'Lunar' in its name had an effect trigger during battle, and it is destroyed in the same battle: Special Summon one 'Sun' or 'Solar' from your Graveyard with a lower level, so long as it is the same Type as the destroyed monster.

Created by Xen Kenshin. Used by Jake – Created by Xen Kenshin

* * *

_So, I start school this Wednesday, January 15th. I know my update times were already bad, but now they're about to get even slower. This is my second shot at school, and I don't plan on messing this one up. Please bear with me, and I'll try to update as often as I can. Thank you!_


End file.
